Hunger
by zerobullshitallowed
Summary: Something was wrong with him. He couldn't control his powers properly, and the pain, God, the pain. What was happening?
1. Chapter 1

What was happening to him?

Danny groaned and curled in on himself in his bed, shivering even though he felt hot all over. The entire day long he had felt off, as if he was getting sick. But this wasn't normal, that much he knew. At school he hadn't been able to control his ghost powers. His hand had disappeared into the walls and according to Tucker throughout the day parts of him had turned invisible for a few moments. It was like he was back at the beginning when he had first gotten his powers. Why couldn't he control them properly?

Another wave of nausea hit him and he went to his bathroom, not wanting to accidentally make a mess in his bed. He tried to breathe evenly and will himself not to throw up. Could this get any worse? He was in pain, didn't know why, his powers were out of control, making it difficult to hide them and he had no idea when this was going to stop. Great, just great.

* * *

"You okay?" Tucker asked him the next day at school and Danny nodded. "Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night." I was busy trying not to pass out from pain, he thought grimly. The random pains had vanished at one point, thank God, and he had been able to get some sleep, although it hadn't been much. Hopefully that was the end of it. He seriously didn't want to go through that again.

Tucker didn't look convinced. "What was wrong yesterday? You had some serious luck that no one noticed that your arm was missing in the hallway. I thought you had your powers under control?" he asked, sounding worried.

"I can control them. It's been a year. I…just, I don't know. Just had a bad day I guess," Danny replied dismissively, not wanting to talk about it. "So, we didn't have any English homework, did we?"

* * *

Sam grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the other students at lunch. "Hey, what are you doing?" Danny asked, rubbing his arm when his best female friend let it go.

"Danny, what the hell?" Sam looked at him and Danny didn't know whether she sounded more annoyed or worried. Judging from her expression it was more likely that she was annoyed.

"If you keep this up somebody will notice. You froze your whole lunch tray!" Sam told him, pointing to their table where Tucker was pretending nothing was wrong and tried to warm the tray up with his hands' body heat.

"Oh." Danny hadn't even noticed. He rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly looked at her. "Uhm, woops?" He received a glare in return.

"That's all you have to say about that? Danny," she then sighed, "look, Tucker and I are a bit worried. Yesterday it was the same thing. Is there something wrong?"

Oh definitely, Danny just didn't know what exactly. "I don't know. I've been feeling a bit under the weather. It's nothing. I'll try to be more careful from now on," he told her reassuringly and smiled at her, hoping she would leave it at that. It looked like she wanted to continue the conversation, but the bell rang, effectively cutting her off.

"I better get to class," he said and walked away. Great, now his friends were worried. He suddenly felt a stab of pain and rubbed his stomach, stifling a groan. He hoped things would return to normal soon.

* * *

He couldn't take this anymore. There had to be a reason that this was happening.

Danny couldn't stand the pain any longer, the heat, and the nausea. Something was wrong, it was like- he couldn't explain it properly. He felt like something was _missing_. He needed something, but what?

He stood up, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach, and left his room, walking downstairs and to the basement. This had to do something with his ghost side, that was the only explanation he could come up with. When he was normally sick it didn't affect his ghost powers. Maybe he could find an explanation in the Ghost Zone.

Now determined to find the solution to his problem he transformed, gasping when another wave of pain went through his body. "What's happening?" he asked himself and winced, wrapping his arms around himself. It was somehow worse now. This only strengthened his belief that this was because of his ghost side. He looked at the portal and noticed that the Ecto Filtrator needed to be changed. Right. He vaguely remembered his dad reminding him. Deciding that he definitely didn't want the house to be destroyed he took a new filter and exchanged the two.

And then something changed. Danny didn't know why, but he couldn't look away from the Ecto Filtrator. The concentrated Ectoplasm within looked so…good.

Danny suddenly realised what this feeling was, he knew what was missing. He felt hungry, no, he was _starving_. He just hadn't realised it because it felt different from his normal hunger. This was much worse.

Almost automatically he opened the Ecto Filtrator and the smell of ectoplasm was nearly overwhelming. Danny knew that normally people thought it didn't smell all that great, he normally was pretty neutral about it, but in this moment he thought that he had never smelled anything this good before. It smelled _delicious_.

And before he knew it he was drinking it. He couldn't drink fast enough, actually. He wanted it all, _needed_ it all. The gooey substance tasted amazing and Danny quickly drank it all, every last drop.

When he was finished he felt much better, the pain gone and he smiled, before he realised what had just happened. He had drunken ectoplasm, concentrated ectoplasm. He let the now empty Ecto Filtrator drop to the ground and stared at it. What was going on?

Danny felt like that hadn't been him a moment ago. He would never drink that stuff voluntarily. Never. Why had he done this? He felt disgusted and shivered, not knowing why this had happened. He physically felt better, the pain was gone, but mentally? Oh boy. He couldn't come to terms with what had just occurred. He should forget all about it. It was useless trying to figure this all out now.

Still somewhat dazed from the entire experience he put the old Ecto Filtrator away and changed back into his human form. He quietly went upstairs and back into his bedroom. Sleep will fix it all, he thought to himself, I should forget this all. He quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the tiring night, the thought of the utter satisfaction he had felt when he drank the ectoplasm never quite leaving his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so glad it's over, Danny thought as he closed his locker. He was no longer experiences any discomfort and his powers were under control again. Drinking the ectoplasm had been the solution. He grimaced as he thought about it again. It had been disgusting in hindsight. Disgusting and…scary. He hadn't been able to control himself, he had only acted out of instinct it seemed. But why ectoplasm? Did he have some kind of ghost sickness? Did ghosts even get sick? Maybe he should do some research on that.

"Hello? Earth to Danny."

Danny quickly turned to his left where Tucker was standing. "Ah, sorry."

"You alright again?" his friend asked him and he nodded. "Everything's fine. I guess I was just a bit out of it the last few days. But I'm fine now," he smiled. "I'm back to normal. My powers are under control again. I have no idea why I couldn't control them, but, it's fine, so who cares?"

Tucker seemed visibly relieved. "Good. You had us worried there, man. If that had continued all of Casper High would've found out your secret. Anyway, Sam and I were thinking we'd play tonight. You up for it?"

"Of course," Danny told him. It was fine. He shouldn't worry about what had happened. People got odd cravings sometimes. He shouldn't spend so much time thinking about what had happened.

Life went on like usual. School was boring, he tried to do his homework, at least a good part of it, his parents were making new gadgets and some ghosts caused trouble, but nothing his friends and he couldn't handle. Danny forgot about the weird incident for the time being, distracted by tests and ghost hunting.

* * *

"Can't you just leave me alone? I've got a test tomorrow and I need to study," Danny shouted annoyed as Skulker shot at him, avoiding the attacks while flying. "I seriously don't have time now." He shot an ecto-ball at Skulker who managed to duck in time.

"You won't need to worry about this test when I finally have you in my collection, ghost child," Skulker retorted. He didn't react fast enough as Danny slammed into him and he crashed into the sidewalk. Danny used the short moment of inattention and pointed the Fenton Thermos at him, watching him get sucked into it, shouting something which probably was along the lines of 'I will get you next time you stupid whelp blah blah'. Danny was not in the mood for it right now.

At least he finally had him. One look at his phone told him it was near midnight. Crap. He hurried back home, changing back into his normal appearance and quietly went inside, hoping his parents were sleeping. He hadn't asked Sam and Tucker for help, knowing they both needed to study too. He didn't want their grades to suffer just because of his…condition, even though they had told him he should always call them. But in all honesty, if they were stressed out and tired they weren't much of a help.

After sending Skulker back to the Ghost Zone Danny finally had time to study for his astronomy test. It wasn't like he had to learn a lot, he had always liked astronomy, but it was because of this that he wanted to do well. He changed into his pyjamas and sat down in his bed, taking his textbook out. Right. He could do this.

Thirty minutes later he sighed and closed his book. It was no use, he couldn't concentrate. He lay back in his bed and suddenly started to think about that night three weeks ago. He had been trying not to give it another thought and had succeeded, but deep down he was afraid it would happen again. It just scared him, he had scared himself. Never before had he experienced this kind of longing, such primal need. Was his ghost side getting stronger? What if-

Danny pulled the duvet tight around himself. No. He shouldn't think about that. Ever since he had changed this thought wouldn't leave him alone. He had spent so many nights awake, stressing out about it, about the possibility. What if he was gradually losing his human side? Or what if he had been more ghost than human since the beginning? This whole time he had always thought it was a clear split between his human and ghost side. However, was it this easy? Could he truly be sure? He felt human. Of course some things had changed, but he was still himself. He was Danny Fenton. And yet that night had shown him that that wasn't exactly true. That hadn't been him. He didn't know what it had been, but definitely not him.

Fear had been a constant in his life ever since the lab accident. At first he had been afraid because he didn't know how to control his newfound powers, afraid that he had actually died in the Portal and he was in some weird afterlife. And then he had been afraid that someone was going to find out his secret, that his parents would somehow figure it out. He was still nervous around them at times, but so far he had been doing an alright job concerning that. Up until a few weeks ago he had had a period where everything was fine, it was okay. And now he was scared again.

He shouldn't be scared of it, right? The ghost side was a part of him. Two sides of the same coin. He could control it, had learned to actually, but now he was questioning even that. Back then he had felt like an animal, pure instinct driving him to his actions.

Danny wondered how Tucker and Sam would react if they ever found out how much this whole situation was affecting him. He had always played it off, pretended he was fine with having these powers, that it didn't bother him. But it did. Maybe not so much the powers, he found them pretty cool, I mean, who wouldn't? But the whole him being part ghost situation, his parents, school, the hunting. There was only so much he could take.

His friends most likely thought he only worried about his grades, getting enough sleep and occasionally his parents. How wrong they were. He could tell them, but he hated sharing his fears and worries. He didn't want them to try to figure his problems out. They had problems of their own. He simply had to deal with this situation by himself, even if that meant not getting any sleep, not eating properly and feeling anxious all the time. He should be used to that by now anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Why did it taste so gross? Danny stared at his bowl of cereal, having just taken his first bite. His empty stomach was telling him to eat, but he simply couldn't bring himself to have another spoonful.

"Are you not hungry, Danny?" his mother asked him while she was eating. Sometimes Danny hated it how she always observed whatever he did, but she only cared about him, he knew that. Jazz was a lot like her, now that he thought about it. He missed her. Hopefully she'd come visit soon.

"No, I'll just eat something later at school," he shrugged and put the spoon back into the bowl. It wasn't like he had no appetite, but it tasted off.

"You should eat more. Are you sure you don't want anything?" His father was now looking at him worried, something Danny couldn't stand. He hated worrying people, something he seemed to do pretty often nowadays.

"I told you I'll eat something at school. I'm just not hungry right now," Danny replied. He wished they would end this conversation right now. They had always been worried he ate too little.

His mother didn't appear to be very convinced, but apparently his father noticed that Danny didn't want to have this conversation again. "Just make sure you actually get something good to eat. The lunches at your school can be questionable..."

Danny cracked a smile at that and nodded. "Yeah. Well, I'll better get going," he told them and left for school. He'd try to eat something later. Maybe he just couldn't eat right now because he was still tired.

* * *

It was lunchtime and Danny seriously needed something to fill his stomach.

Danny sat down next to Tucker at their table. He was so hungry. Hopefully now his taste buds would act normal.

"Any new ghostly activities?" Tucker asked before he bit into his sandwich. Danny was debating on whether or not he should tell him the truth. "Skulker visited me yesterday. It wasn't a long fight though," he said.

Sam didn't look very happy. "We told you to call us!"

"I know, but it wasn't a huge deal. I could handle him on my own," Danny told her honestly. "And you both also needed to study. I don't want you to suffer just because of my ghost problems."

"Those aren't just problems, Danny. We're your friends. We want to help you," Tucker said and Danny started to feel a bit guilty. Great.

He sighed, "yeah I know. Look, it was late, we all needed to study and it was over quickly. If I had called you it would've been over before you even got there and then you two would've been pissed. Nothing happened, alright?"

Danny took a bite out of his own sandwich and it took him a lot of willpower not to immediately spit it out. It tasted awful. This wasn't normal. Why did everything taste so bad? However, he was really hungry. He had to get something into his stomach.

"It's still dangerous though. If something happened no one would know about it," Sam said. "How about before you go off to fight you text us real quick, whether you think you need help or not? And when you're finished you text us again. If you take too long we'd go investigate and look if everything's alright."

"Alright," Danny agreed and continued eating, despite the vile taste. Maybe he was getting sick. Food didn't taste like much when he was and while this very much tasted like something he couldn't come up with another explanation.

Sam and Tucker seemed satisfied with his answer and they all continued eating. Danny actually hoped that he was just getting sick, because otherwise he didn't have a good explanation as to what was going on.

After finishing his sandwich he felt nothing but relief. Finally he had something in his stomach, even though it had tasted awful. That would also pass, he was sure. If you ignored the problem long enough it would be solved on its own. At least that was his approach to most of his problems.

* * *

What was it again? Danny pondered over the question, trying to come up with the answer. He was sure he had read it yesterday, but what was it? Stupid Skulker. How did the ghosts always show up when he had to study? It wasn't fair.

He shifted in his seat when his stomach started to hurt. What a timing.

Danny skipped the question for now and continued, frowning at the pain. He couldn't do this right now. He wanted to do well in this class. He suddenly started to feel sick and he could no longer concentrate on his test. Why now? Wasn't it bad enough already that he had a test? Again his stomach twisted painfully. Urgently he raised his hand, needing to go to the bathroom right now.

He heard Lancer sigh. "Mr. Fenton, what is it?" he asked annoyed.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Danny told him, trying to breathe evenly, willing the sick feeling away.

"You're in the middle of a test. I can't let you go to the bathroom," was the reply and Danny was now getting desperate. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sam looking at him confused.

"Please Mr. Lancer. I need to go," Danny looked at his teacher, the desperation he felt apparently evident on his face as Lancer sighed anew. "Fine, but hurry. I am giving you two minutes. If you're not back by then I'll take your test as it is," Lancer told him firmly and Danny nodded, quickly standing up.

"Got it," he said before leaving the classroom, hurrying to the bathroom. His stomach was killing him and he felt like he was going to be sick any moment now. Once he got into a stall he puked up what was in his stomach.

He hated this. Danny flushed the toilet and groaned. First he managed to get the sandwich down and now he couldn't keep it in his stomach? That had been a wasted effort. He felt better now though. His stomach didn't make itself known and the sick feeling was gone.

Why hadn't he been able to keep the food down? He had been so hungry. The possibility of this being like that night crossed his mind, but he quickly rejected the idea. No, it couldn't be that. He didn't want it to be that. Something like that wouldn't happen again.

After washing his hands he hurried to his classroom, not wanting to get a bad grade. He could worry about what that had been about later.

"Are you alright, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer asked him when Danny entered the room.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine," he told him and sat back down. Did he look like he wasn't fine? Lancer didn't reply to him and instead reminded the students that they had five minutes left. Danny hoped he'd finish in time or his somewhat failed attempt at studying had been for naught.

Quickly he tried to answer the rest of the questions, guessing the answer once or twice. All in all he thought he did pretty well, considering the fact he had only studied for half an hour the night before.

After class was over Danny stood up, feeling a bit dizzy. It was probably because he hadn't eaten anything yet. Well, at least nothing was in his stomach.

"So what was that all about?" Sam asked him confused. "You know Lancer normally never lets anyone leave when there's a test."

"I just really had to go to the bathroom," Danny told her and the two left the room. "Why are you even asking? It's not like that was weird," he said.

Sam looked at him intently. "You looked really pale though. Same when you came back."

Danny didn't want to tell her. She'd start worrying, make him feel guilty for not saying anything and then tell Tucker. He seriously didn't need that right now. "Sam, I'm always pale, haven't you noticed that by now?" he rolled his eyes. "I'm half dead. It's a given."

Sam hit his arm, apparently not finding the comment funny at all. "Don't say stuff like that. Also, I know that you're pale, idiot. I meant paler than you normally are. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure."

He didn't know if he had actually convinced her, but at least it looked like she wouldn't dwell on it any further, thanks to Tucker approaching them. They briefly told him about their test and made plans for the weekend before going separate ways.

On his way home Danny thought about his predicament again. He felt like he could eat a whole cow, but food tasted horrible and he couldn't even keep it down. His friends' worries could be justified. There might seriously be something wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah Danny, good that you're home! I need to show you something," his father said when Danny came down the stairs after putting his school stuff away, exhausted from the events of the day.

Thinking that right now he had better things to do, Danny sighed and followed his dad down to the basement. He didn't want to make his dad sad. It was pretty obvious that he wanted to spend more time with him, but whenever it seemed like now was the right time for that a ghost appeared.

As they went down the stairs Danny wondered what it was this time. Another gadget that would go off on him, leaving him to awkwardly talk his way out of it? Hopefully not. He had had enough of those for an entire lifetime.

"Remember the Lipstick Blaster?" Jack asked him and Danny nodded, recalling when Paulina nearly killed herself with it. "Yeah, why?"

"Your mother and I decided we should start an entire collection of ghost weapons disguised as normal products. This way the people of Amity Park can protect themselves from ghosts anytime!" his dad told him proudly and help up two Fenton Lipstick Blasters along with what looked like an earring. In fact, he looked so proud that Danny didn't immediately tell him it was a terrible idea. His father got disappointed quickly and Danny didn't want to be a jerk. However, these things were crazy dangerous and Danny imagined himself getting shot by civilians. Yeah, definitely not cool. Besides, how would they properly know how to use it?

"Don't you think they're a bit dangerous?" he hesitantly pointed out. "I mean, what if someone uses them wrong? They could blow their house up."

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Danny, don't be silly. I'm sure they won't be that stupid." He inspected the gadgets and Danny knew his parents had most likely spent a lot of time making them. And yet he still didn't think it was a good idea. If they were only dangerous to ghosts it would be one thing, but they weren't.

Danny simply looked at him, unconvinced that the people of Amity Park could handle the weapons. Sometimes he worried his parents would blow _their_ house up with their crazy inventions.

"On second thought…" his dad muttered, "maybe you have a point. They _are_ a bit dangerous. Hm. Maybe we should do some courses on how to handle them, but when? I'll have to talk to Maddie about this," he frowned and walked upstairs, leaving Danny alone. It would be for the best if they put the idea on ice, he thought and looked at the assortment of Lipstick Blasters they had made.

While looking at the other gadgets he spotted a tube full of ectoplasm. His parents must be analysing it again. Even after all these years of research they had yet to actually study ghosts properly. The closest thing they could study was the ectoplasm. Danny felt drawn to it and opened the container. His stomach was reminding him he needed sustenance. The ectoplasm looked really good right now.

What was he doing? Danny snapped out of it and took a step back. He was starting to think like he did back then. This wasn't him thinking this, it couldn't be. He would never think about this, about actually considering drinking ectoplasm. But here he was, still staring at the fluid. Back then it had tasted delicious, his cramps had stopped and he had felt better. It was likely that ectoplasm really was what he needed.

Was he really considering this right now? What was wrong with him? Danny was starting to scare himself. This desire wasn't human, no way. It was his ghost side that was affecting him. He had no doubt about it. But why now? It had been about two years since the portal accident.

Danny still hadn't moved. The human side was disgusted by his ghost side's desire to drink the ectoplasm. Before he had always thought that his human side was stronger. He had been a normal human for 14 years, it was only logical, but now he wasn't so sure. Both sides could be equal or one stronger, but he didn't know which one. And part of him didn't want to find out.

While he had been thinking he had unconsciously moved closer again. Was this bad? Ectoplasm was what made up all ghosts. So why was he craving it? Danny still couldn't wrap his head around it. All he knew right now was that he wanted to drink it. A taste wouldn't hurt, would it?

Danny scooped a bit of the gooey substance out with his finger. The smell was stronger now and his stomach grumbled again. Just a taste. He'd just try it again.

It tasted...good. Not as good as the last time he had drunken it, but still amazing. The rich flavour made his mouth water even more. This might not have been his best idea, because now there wasn't anything holding him back. All Danny could think about was that it tasted good and he needed it, so why shouldn't he drink it?

With his mind made up he put the container to his lips and let the fluid fill his mouth. One of the first emotions he felt while consuming it was relief. Relief because he finally found something which tasted good. Relief because he could fill his stomach. Why had he not wanted to do this? This was exactly what he needed.

When there was nothing left he put the container back onto the table. Danny wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his stomach full. The light-headedness was gone and he felt more energetic, like someone had charged his batteries. He loved this feeling.

But almost immediately after experiencing this satisfaction he felt regret. He shouldn't have done this. This wasn't normal. No one craved ectoplasm, what was wrong with him?

But it had also tasted _good_. He couldn't deny it. He felt much better now and part of him still wanted more, even if he was disgusted with himself. It was an odd feeling. He didn't know if he liked it.

One thing Danny was sure of was that he needed answers. Was this going to continue? Why had this started last month? None of this made any sense to him. And that scared him, not having the answers to this problem. It made him consider telling Tucker and Sam, but he didn't want them to think he was…sick. That he truly was some kind of freak. Maybe they'd think he was losing his human side, which wasn't true. They could leave him. And if he didn't have them then he'd be alone with this. Jazz was away at college. He couldn't lose his friends.

"Danny, are you still down there? Dinner is ready!" he heard his mum shout and he snapped out of his rather depressing thoughts. Now was not the time to freak out again. He could get some help, someone who knew what was happening. And there was only one person that came to mind, as much as he hated asking him.


	5. Chapter 5

_Why am I doing this again?_

Simply being here sent a shiver down Danny's spine. The mansion loomed over him and he remembered all the times he had been here before. Nothing good had ever come from him being at Vlad's home, so why was he even considering this? This was a stupid idea.

Danny had been standing in front of the big doors for several minutes now, contemplating whether or not he should actually ask the older man for help. Would he even help him? Vlad had no reason to. Damn, this really _was_ a stupid idea. He should ask someone else for help.

He knocked three times, waiting for any indication that someone was home. The possibility of Vlad not being here hadn't even crossed his mind. Danny waited for another minute or two, before deciding that maybe this was fate telling him to go away and to rethink his plan.

Just as he was about to walk away the doors opened and he was greeted by Vlad Master's smiling face. Danny's stomach was in knots, cursing himself for doing this.

"Ah Daniel! What a _pleasant_ surprise!" he looked down at him and Danny wasn't even sure if the smile was as fake as it seemed to be.

"Yeah, real pleasant," Danny rolled his eyes. He had almost forgotten how much he hated the guy. "Look, I'm just here because I need your help.

That appeared to surprise him and Vlad quirked an eyebrow. "My help? Why would you need my help, Daniel? Is your father being a complete and utter idiot again?"

"Shut up, fruitloop." He hated it when he insulted his father, thinking he was better than him. Vlad had no idea what his father was actually like.

The older man stepped aside, motioning him to come inside. "If I were in your shoes I would show some manners. You need my help and I don't know if I am willing to give you it if you continue to be a brat."

Yup, this had been a mistake.

Danny hesitantly nodded and only because this was serious and he really did need Vlad's help, as much as he hated to admit it.

Once inside his nemesis closed the doors and showed Danny the way to the living room. Being inside the mansion always left the younger halfa feeling intimidated, as stupid as it sounded. He could hold his own against Vlad, but this place was out of his comfort zone and who knew what kind of traps were scattered around. Did Vlad have traps? The fruitloop seemed to be the guy who had some.

"Now, you mentioned that you needed my help, Daniel," Vlad told him as he sat down and Danny rolled his eyes. "With what could I help you? I thought I would be a last resort if you experienced any problems."

"And normally you would be," Danny said quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. He seriously didn't want Vlad to think that he actually liked the creep. God no. "But something came up and I was…wondering," he muttered, suddenly unsure of himself. If he told him then he would make himself vulnerable. What if Vlad would exploit his sudden weakness? Danny realised that he really hadn't thought this through. However, drastic times call for desperate measures, right?

Vlad was looking at him expectantly and Danny audibly sighed, staring at his hands when he also decided to sit down. "I have a problem."

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," he snorted.

"Shut up," Danny said currishly and rubbed the back of his neck. Part of him wanted to leave the mansion right now, most likely the logical part of him who knew that this was a terrible idea, but he also needed answers.

He heard a sigh and looked up to see the older man looking at him impatiently. "Daniel, I do not have time for this little game. It's obvious that you aren't here to try to kill me and you do seem distraught. I am honestly feeling generous right now. You are testing my patience though."

"I know, look, I- I've been going through these weird…episodes," Danny started, again wondering why he was talking to the guy who was practically his arch-enemy. "They started like a month ago, maybe longer. I began feeling like I was ill. I couldn't sleep properly. I got nauseous and couldn't keep any food down. And at first I thought I was sick, but that wasn't it," he continued. "And I felt better when I…I-"

Danny could feel the shame surfacing again. He was ashamed that he had given in to the urge the other times. The need to simply leave was getting stronger and he put his legs up, hugging them close to his stomach.

"I am afraid you do need to continue speaking, because otherwise I have no idea what you're talking about," was Vlad's reply. "What did you do? Did you take some painkillers?" The amusement in his voice was obvious.

"I don't need your stupid comments right now," Danny glared at him, although his voice didn't hold the usual venom. "I didn't take painkillers."

"What was it then?" Vlad looked at him curiously now and Danny really hoped that the other man knew what was going on. He had a feeling that this wasn't a typical ghost thing.

"I drank…uhm. You know how my parents are always looking at samples of different ghostly materials? I don't know why, but… I like, drank it. The ectoplasm I mean." Danny's face turned red as he confessed and he looked away once again, expecting Vlad to call him sick. He deserved it too. What he had done was unnatural. It was completely wrong.

What he hadn't expected was Vlad chuckling, throwing him completely off guard.

"Are you laughing? Seriously?" Danny frowned. "This is serious! Did you even listen to what I said?!" he said angrily and stood up. It had been stupid of him to even come here if all Vlad did was make him feel like an idiot. He should just leave and-

"Daniel, I am sorry, but I honestly thought your problem wasn't so easily solved."

"What are you talking about?"

Vlad also got up from his seat. "You have already found a solution to your problem, haven't you? All you need to do is consume ectoplasm whenever you feel the urge to. It's that simple."

Danny shook his head and huffed. "You don't understand anything, do you? I know that already! I flew all the way here to ask you if there's something else I can do. I don't- I don't want to eat ectoplasm!"

"And why not?" Vlad clearly didn't understand which made Danny even more upset. This guy was seriously testing his patience.

"Because it's sick!" he practically shouted and saw the sudden realisation on Vlad's face.

"Ah. So that is what this is about," he said slowly. "You're uncomfortable with the whole situation, aren't you? Hm, more so about the fact that it's ectoplasm that you need to drink, that's it, isn't it?"

Danny crossed his arms and nodded. He didn't want to appear afraid, even though that was what he felt. Fear. He couldn't beat around the bush any longer. He was very much afraid of a situation that he could not control.

"I think I can guess why you're so against it." Vlad's voice oozed smugness and Danny could feel the urge to punch him in his stupid face growing stronger.

"And it's because it's not something humans do, am I right?"

Hearing someone else say it felt like a punch in the gut. It was true, of course. Drinking ectoplasm wasn't natural. It wasn't a human thing to do. And that thought scared him.

"Oh Daniel," Vlad chuckled and looked at him with that stupid obnoxious smile. "Why can't you already accept the fact that you're not human?"

"I _am_ human," Danny glared at him.

"But not entirely, isn't that right?" Vlad asked. "That's what's scaring you. The fact that you're not like everyone else. No, you are also a ghost. You're the same as me."

"I'm not anything like you," he snapped, eyes glowing green. "And I'll never be anything like you. We aren't the same."

Vlad was still smiling which only pissed him off more. "But we are the only beings who are human and at the same time ghost."

Danny couldn't stand this. Here he was, having asked Vlad for help and it was all backfiring. Instead of helping him the older man was mocking him. He should have never come here.

"I can see that you are very much struggling with this whole situation," Vlad said. "But I believe that you simply need to accept the fact that you need to consume ectoplasm. It's not as bad as you think it is."

"Of cou- wait," Danny stopped himself from insulting him, his eyes turning blue again. "Do you need to do that too?"

He saw Vlad roll his eyes. "You did not inherit Maddie's intellect, did you? Yes, Daniel, I have to drink ectoplasm too. Why did you think I was so calm about this?" he sighed.

"Have you always had to do it? I mean, you've been part ghost for twenty years, haven't you?" Danny asked, now again interested in what Vlad had to say.

"That's true. And yes, I have always had to do it. I was as confused as to what was going on as you are right now," he answered his questions. "But that will pass. Soon it'll be completely normal for you."

Danny doubted that. He was freaked out about the whole thing. Well, freaked out wasn't the right expression. Terrified was probably more accurate.

At least now he had someone else who was going through the same thing. And that calmed him somewhat. Vlad was a douche, a guy who he didn't trust at all. He had tried to get rid of his father, was desperately trying to date his mum and had also tried to kill him before. Of course fate was a bitch and now Danny had no choice other than to ask him for advice.

"I don't know. It's just wrong to me," Danny murmured.

Vlad's expression seemed to soften as he looked at him again. "Daniel, you've caught me in a good mood. It appears that you really do need my help regarding your situation. And I've decided that I am willing to help you."

Saying Danny was shocked was an understatement. "Wait, what? Seriously?"

"Yes, _seriously_ ," Vlad said. "Because I know that I am the only person in the world who can actually help you and despite your belief, I am not heartless."

Danny help back a remark, knowing that right now was not the time for insulting the other halfa. "You'll actually help me then?"

"I will, but under one condition."

"And what is that?"

"Don't ever call me fruitloop again."


	6. Chapter 6

At first Danny had regretted coming here. This _was_ the guy who was trying to bang his mum –and that was so disgusting Danny hated even thinking about it– and had tried to ruin his father's reputation. However, since Vlad had revealed he was also suffering from the same problem, Danny was getting the feeling that maybe this had actually not been such a bad idea.

Vlad was telling him about his own experiences regarding the urge to consume ectoplasm. Hearing someone else going through the same thing filled Danny with relief. He wasn't alone in this. And even though this was his nemesis, it was nice knowing someone else had had similar experiences.

"So you've had to drink ectoplasm ever since you became a halfa then?" Danny asked Vlad after he finished talking. It had been roughly two hours since he had arrived here. Before he had left Danny had told his parents he was over at Tucker's. Being over at his place was a common occurrence so they hadn't questioned it. Besides, it wasn't like they spent a lot of time with their son when he was home anyway.

"Yes," Vlad confirmed and crossed his legs. "However, I'm beginning to understand that we are still different," he told him, making Danny lean forward in anticipation of an explanation.

"You mentioned that you can go longer without having to do…you know," Danny muttered, still not comfortable with the knowledge that this was actually happening to him.

Vlad nodded, "indeed. I can go as long as half a year without having to drink ectoplasm. Your time span appears to be a lot shorter."

"Half a year?" Danny said incredulously. He hadn't even managed a month. "I'm really confused now," he admitted. "Because I think I'd die before I even hit two months."

"I have a theory," the older man replied. "Daniel, when you acquired your powers you were in your parents' portal." He waited for Danny to nod before he continued. "You see, I was exposed to less ecto-energy and ectoplasm when I had my own accident," Vlad explained. "And I believe this might have something to do with your greater need for ectoplasm."

Danny was silent, thinking about what Vlad was getting at. From what he had heard from his parents their first portal prototype had been tiny in comparison to the Fenton Portal. It had also been unstable, so Vlad could be right in his assumption that this could actually be the cause of their differences.

"But this only started happening like two months ago," Danny pointed out. "I've never had to drink ectoplasm before. So why now? I don't get it."

"You're a teenager," Vlad said simply and chuckled. "You're still growing, well, hopefully. You're pretty short."

Danny crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Geez, he didn't have to say it out loud. It wasn't like Danny didn't know he was short.

"And because your body is undergoing changes I assume it also needs more energy. That does not only apply to your human body, but to your ghost one as well," he explained slowly. "And your other form requires sustenance which contains a high amount of energy. Ectoplasm is a perfect fit. Other ghosts can simply absorb the ectoplasm which is in the Ghost Zone, but you and I don't live there, thank God," Vlad muttered and Danny couldn't help but agree with him. He seriously didn't want to live there.

"It is also fact that you and I are not your average ghosts. We possess a larger variety of powers, which of course drain our energy. That could also be a factor we should keep in mind," he theorised and looked at Danny who was silently fuming. "Is something the matter?"

"It's just so- This is so stupid," Danny groaned, wishing this was all a bad dream and that he would wake up soon. "It's not like I don't have enough problems already, right? I'm already struggling with balancing the whole ghost fighting thing and my social and school life. I don't need any more problems! I don't have time for this shit!" he huffed.

Vlad shook his head, "Daniel…"

"You know it's true, this is unfair! Why can't I just deal with things normal teenagers have to? Why do I have this ever growing pile of problems? God! I'm so sick of this," he groaned. "It's not fair."

"I know that this is unfair, trust me," Vlad told him, "and I also know that you have enough problems as it is. However, this is not as bad as you make it out to be."

How could this not be bad? He had to eat ectoplasm and if he didn't he'd most likely die!

"Yeah, right. I was close to finally accepting what had happened to me. I was willing to just put up with everything that is thrown at me, but this? It makes me feel so-so…"

"Inhuman?" Vlad helped him find the right word and Danny nodded. "Exactly."

His nemesis sighed and Danny once again wondered why he even decided to help him. It was clear that he was annoying the man and yet… Maybe it was because they really were the only halfas in existence and that alone was enough to make Vlad consider helping him. However, something was telling him that wasn't the reason.

"You have to accept it, there is no other way. You can't pretend that you're completely human anymore," Vlad looked at him seriously. "Because you're not. We both aren't. We're different, Daniel, and at first that is terrifying. It is, I'm not going to sugar-coat it. I lost everything because of my accident. I lost my social life, my friends deserted me and I lost your mother."

Danny held himself back from telling him that he would have never had a chance with his mum.

"And I still learned to accept that this is who I am now and you should do the same, because this isn't going to suddenly change."

He really hated it when people made good points.

Begrudgingly Danny nodded, "yeah, I know. It isn't easy though."

"I never said it was," Vlad reminded him and stood up. "I think it is time for you to go, Daniel. It's getting quite late and I have things to do."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Causing a mess in the Ghost Zone takes its time," Danny rolled his eyes.

He heard Vlad mutter something under his breath. Maybe it had been in his best interest that he hadn't heard it. When the man looked at him Danny sighed. "Alright, I'm going. Man, you're treating me like I'm your mortal enemy or something."

"Very funny," Vlad said drily but Danny just grinned at him.

"I know."

He walked to the entrance and then hesitantly looked back.

"I… I know that we're enemies and don't get me wrong, I still hate your guts," Danny said and scratched the back of his neck. "But…you really helped me. Well, you made me feel better about this at least. So, thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, Daniel. If you decide to come here more often, maybe with your-"

"Nope, now you've ruined it," he cut him off and left the mansion, seeing his breath. The sudden temperature change made him shiver. Vlad had been right about it getting late, the sun was setting. It was also good to know that Vlad still was a creep. At least some things didn't change.

But he really had helped him, at least in the aspect of making him a little less scared. God, he was scared of himself. Danny had thought he had left that behind, but apparently not.

Another chill went down his spine. He should probably go home now before it was dark.

With the weight on his shoulders a bit lighter, Danny transformed and took off, leaving Vlad's mansion far behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay, Danny. Just, tell them about it. They'll understand. I mean, it's not like it's weird or anything like that. No, you just have to chug some ectoplasm every now and then so that you won't die. Yeah, totally normal."

Danny looked at himself in the mirror, noticing how his appearance had changed since the accident. He used to look full of energy and now there were dark circles under his eyes. The constant late night ghost hunting was affecting him more than he had originally thought. You'd think that being half ghost would maybe make it so he'd be slightly nocturnal, but luck was not something Danny had ever possessed.

Two weeks ago he had visited Vlad and while that had been surprisingly alright, ever since then he had reckoned that he should tell his friends about his…condition. They had been concerned about his recent incidents at school and Danny figured that it was time to come clean. Even if that meant telling them he was even weirder than he already was.

He didn't even know why he was nervous about telling them. They were his best friends, surely they'd just crack a joke or two and everything would be fine. Tucker would make a weird comment, Sam would tell him he was an idiot for not telling them sooner and then they would continue with their lives.

"It'll be fine," Danny said to himself and sat down on his bed. It were moments like this one when he wished his sister was here. Jazz always knew what to do. She was the voice of reason and a person Danny could rely on. Maybe he should call her and talk to her about what was happening to him. Although, she'd most likely freak out about the whole thing. So, perhaps that was a bad idea.

But if he thought she would freak out, then what would his friends say?

Danny could feel himself getting nervous again and took several deep breaths. It was going to be fine. They were his friends. They liked him no matter what, even if he needed to drink ectoplasm. They were going to be great about the whole thing. He shouldn't worry about it. God, why was he always worrying about stuff?

 _Just shut up, brain, you're not helping._

* * *

Normally Danny would walk up to his locker, take his books out, walk over to his friends and then walk to class with them.

But today was not a normal day. No, today was the day he was going to tell them.

So naturally, he walked up to his locker, took his books out and avoided his friends at all costs. At first he had been determined to finally tell him, but as soon as he had entered Casper High the nerves had set in and made Danny throw his plan out the window.

Why should he tell them about it when he could just avoid the whole issue? It wasn't like they needed to know. He was capable of hiding his cravings now that he knew for sure what to do. Sam and Tuck would be fine without knowing.

Problem was, whenever he saw them he felt the need to tell them. He _hated_ keeping secrets. Kind of ironic because he had a secret identity, but that didn't change the fact that secrets sucked. Lying to his friends was something Danny despised. He was already feeling icky and the day had just started.

And so because he was avoiding his friends, he was currently walking around the school, acting normal if you didn't count the fact that he was invisible.

Sure, _maybe_ he was being a bit of an idiot and perhaps unfair to his friends, but he couldn't handle the possible rejection. He couldn't handle the looks. He wanted to tell them, they deserved to know. However, he was a coward.

Danny saw Sam and Tucker standing in front of his locker and held his breath, intending to pass by unnoticed when he overheard their conversation.

"Where is he? He hasn't talked to us at all today." Sam sighed and crossed her arms. "Did we do something that upset him?"

Tucker shook his head.

"I don't think we did. Everything was fine on Friday."

"I didn't see or talk to him on Saturday or Sunday, did you?" she asked him and Tucker shrugged, adjusting his glasses.

"He told me he was busy doing stuff with his parents."

"Do you think…that he was just avoiding us? That would mean we did something wrong on Friday. I wonder-"

Danny walked away, not being able to stand listening to them any longer. Great, now he was feeling guilty, too. They thought they upset him! Of course they would think it was their fault. This wasn't right. He should tell them, but…

But what? So what if they reacted negatively at first? What if they thought it was weird or gross? They were still his friends. They had accepted his whole ghost thing, why wouldn't they accept this? Right now he was acting like a jerk.

It was time to man up.

With that in mind Danny waited for an opportunity to become visible again and then walked over to his friends.

"Uhm, hey…" he said awkwardly when they looked at him.

Tucker was the first to talk. "Danny, did we do something? You've been ignoring us all day long," he frowned.

Danny scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, actually, I need to talk to you two."

"About what?" Sam asked curiously. "It better explain why you've just ignored us."

"I know that was shitty and I'm sorry. I've been really nervous…still am, actually." Danny looked at the floor and took a deep breath. Other students were leaving the school, going home to their normal lives. He wished he could have that. A normal live with normal problems.

 _Well, here goes nothing._

"You remember back when I suddenly couldn't control my powers anymore?" He saw them nod and continued. "It was because my ghost half was starving. I had bad stomach cramps and couldn't keep any food down."

"Your ghost half was starving?" Tucker asked confused. "I didn't know that was even possible."

Danny nodded, "neither did I. I was feeling pretty awfu-"

"Why didn't you tell us about that?" Sam inquired. "We were worried about you and-"

"Can you just let me finish?" he sighed. "Look, I wasn't doing too well and yes, I probably should've told you two, but I thought I was just sick. I wasn't. I found out how to feed my ghost side though."

"So, what did you do?"

His best friends looked at him curiously, waiting for an answer. He hoped they wouldn't… He hoped they would be okay with it.

"Ectoplasm was the solution," Danny replied quietly. Although he had somewhat come to terms with it, he still wasn't entirely okay with it. It still seemed…wrong.

"Alright then. Ectoplasm. What did you do with it?" Sam asked confused and tilted her head.

"I drank it."

Silence.

Neither of the two said anything for a moment and instead looked at each other, digesting this new information. The more time passed the shittier Danny felt. Perhaps telling them had been a bad idea after all.

"You…drank it," Tucker said slowly and opened his mouth then closed it again, possibly searching for the right words.

"Aren't ghosts made out of ectoplasm?" Sam wondered, making Danny grimace.

"Yeah…"

"You're like a vampire then?" Tucker joked and stifled a laugh.

Danny glared at him. "This is not funny!" he hissed. Way to go, Tucker. Now he felt even more awful than he already did before.

"So you've got to drink ectoplasm when your body needs it?" Sam asked and he nodded.

"Yes. That's about the gist of it."

He heard her sigh and she rolled her eyes. "God, you're such an idiot."

Danny frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but she continued speaking before he could even start.

"You've seriously been avoiding us because of this?! First of all, you're a jerk. We've been worried we did something wrong!" she scolded him, hands on her hips. "Besides, it's not actually that big of a deal. So you sometimes have to drink ectoplasm. Who cares? This is really not that big of a deal. As long as you drink it soon enough nothing should happen, right?"

Sam was really making sense and also made Danny feel like the biggest idiot in all of Casper High. Well, maybe excluding Dash.

"I…guess you're right," he murmured and Tucker chuckled.

"She's right. You really are an idiot, man. What did you think we were going to do once you told us?" he shook his head and smiled.

Danny shrugged, "I dunno. I was scared…" he said quietly.

"We're your friends! We don't care about what crazy stuff you have to eat, even if it _is_ really gross," Tucker assured him.

"Okay," Danny said and smiled softly. He felt a lot better now that his friends knew about his condition. They didn't say he was a freak or anything like that. After talking to them he realised he had been a big idiot. Of course they would still be his friends.

"Can we go back to being friends now and do what we always do or does anyone else have another huge confession or secret they want to share with the group?" Sam asked and looked at Danny fondly.

"Nope," Tucker replied. "I just want to get out of school now."

"Me too. I've had enough of this place for today," Danny agreed.

* * *

"Mum? Dad?"

Danny closed the front door behind him. When his parents didn't answer he concluded that they were in the lab again.

He quickly went up the stairs and to his room, a smile on his face. Today had been pretty great so far. School hadn't been too bad and Tucker and Sam didn't mind that he had to drink ectoplasm. Another thing he could stop worrying about.

Once he was in his room he dropped his rucksack and out of habit nearly sat down on the bed, but stopped when he noticed a brown package on it. It was roughly the size one of his school binders. It was for him, there was no doubt it. Who put it there though? It had to have been a ghost. Shit, what if this was a trap?

His smile vanished and Danny worried his lip and stared at the parcel. If this was a trap then opening it would be bad, very bad. But, what if it wasn't a trap? Then again, which ghost would ever give him a gift? He snorted, thinking of the box ghost. Now that would be hilarious.

The problem was that Danny was curious by nature.

Deciding to throw caution out the window he slowly opened the package, noticing a green glow emitting from inside of it. What was-

Now that was odd. There was a card with his name on it. Carefully he grabbed it, still slightly worried that this could indeed be a trap, and started to read.

 **Daniel,**

 **Ever since you came to my mansion I have been thinking about our condition– your condition to be exact. You were very troubled and while I at first thought drinking ectoplasm was a very simple solution to your problem, I realised that maybe you would have more trouble with it than I have.**

 **Sneaking ectoplasm out of your parents' lab would I imagine not be that difficult, but your parents do love to be down there I guess. Having to drink it more regularly than I do is also not…very ideal, judging from your first reaction.**

 **And so I have decided to help you, like I promised. Ectoplasm is not that difficult to come by in the Ghost Zone. However, there are different kinds. They look the same, but they do have differences.**

 **Concentrated ectoplasm is hard to come by, although you have had some experiences with it. The Ecto Filtrator in your Ghost Portal makes it. This process does take half a year though. You see, when consuming ectoplasm which is highly concentrated you can go longer without having to consume more, something which I suppose would be interesting to you.**

 **Inside this package are two samples of concentrated ectoplasm I have specifically made for you. I hope that this will help you.**

 **Vlad**

Danny looked at the two vials which were about as big as the Ecto Filtrator. Vlad had actually…done this for him. He guessed sometimes the fruitloop wasn't so bad. He felt like he had to thank him, but there was no way he was going to visit him just to say thanks. Besides, no matter how nice this was, he still was the creepy guy who liked his mum.

He closed the package and put it under his bed, a small smile on his face. Today really wasn't such a bad day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Sorry it took longer, I had some computer troubles and lost some chapters, so it took me a while to get another one out. Also thank you all for reviewing, favouriting etc. You're the best!**

* * *

Danny was greeted by his sister's bright smile when he opened the door and found himself embraced tightly only a second after.

"I missed you so much!" Jazz released him and looked him up and down. "You're still pretty short. And here I was thinking maybe you had hit a growth spurt," she teased him.

"It's good to know that you haven't changed," Danny rolled his eyes and smiled at her. After not seeing her for five months he couldn't be mad at her. He had missed her too much.

Initially he had thought her leaving for college wouldn't affect him a lot. How wrong he had been. With her gone Danny realised how lonely it was at home. Sure, his parents were here, but they were nearly always busy with their work. Being at home meant occasionally seeing his parents and otherwise being alone. And being alone also meant thinking too much.

Danny watched in amusement as his sister was hugged by their dad, snickering when it was apparent that Jazz had forgotten how breathtaking his hugs were, literally. Seeing them all back together filled him with warmth. The house seemed friendlier, too, not as quiet as it had been before due to their parents' immediate interrogation. Jazz cast an occasional towards him, wanting Danny to cut the conversation short, but he wasn't going to save her from this. She hadn't been stuck with their parents on her own for five months. This was the least he would get as repayment.

As the conversation went on Danny excused himself and went up to his room, knowing that his parents wanted to catch up with Jazz. There was no need for him to be down there.

Now that his sister was here again he wanted to spend time with her, but that could wait for now. While his sister and their parents talked downstairs, Danny texted Tucker and Sam, making plans for the weekend. It was time to go on another ghost patrol together on Friday. Usually ghost attacks increased around the beginning of December, probably because they all took a break for Christmas. Which reminded him that he needed to buy presents.

Speaking of presents, it had been around three weeks since Vlad had given him the concentrated ectoplasm. Danny dreaded the day where he'd consume the first vial and yet he felt oddly relieved, too. Sure, he was still kind of grossed out, but thanks to his nemesis he wouldn't have to drink more ectoplasm any time soon after that.

Vlad had actually helped him, but why? They were usually at each other's throats. Hell, he had been trying to kill him. And now he was suddenly helping him? It was weird and Danny didn't know how to feel about that. Of course he was grateful, there was no doubt about it. Danny was just unsure about Vlad's motive. Did he care about him in his own twisted way? Who knew.

Danny heard someone knocking on his door. Jazz opened it and stepped inside his room, looking around.

"It's still a bit of a mess," she mused and smiled at him.

"You know, if you knock and then immediately come inside then the knocking becomes obsolete," he replied, moving to make more space on his bed for her.

Jazz sat down, the smile still on her face. "So, how are you holding up? I heard school has been alright."

Danny nodded. "I've been trying to study more, although that gets pretty difficult at times. I hope there won't be any ghost attacks tomorrow... I just want a peaceful Thanksgiving."

"You've been taking care of yourself, haven't you?" Jazz looked at him, clearly worried.

"I'm fine. Busy, but fine. Tucker and Sam are still helping out, thankfully. They're great," he told her and debated on whether to tell her about the latest developments.

He decided not to share his condition.

"That's good. I've been worrying about you, Danny. Part of me felt guilty for leaving you here alone with our parents." She worried her bottom lip as Danny looked at her.

"Why? You left for university," he said confused. "Why feel guilty for that?"

Jazz sighed and looked at the ground. "Because...you know how our parents can be and...I know how much them talking about ghosts affects you," she said quietly, then looked at him. "They don't know that you...are different, Danny. And I'm sure if you would just tell them that you're part-"

"No!" he cut her off. "I'm not going to tell them, Jazz! I told you!"

How often had they had this conversation? His sister was always trying to get him to tell them. It wasn't like she was even thinking about what the consequences could be!

"They're our parents. I'm sure they'd understand. Well, maybe not understand, but they'd accept you. I'm sure," she told him and Danny huffed, turning away from her.

"Are you? Are you absolutely sure? They do seem to love talking about capturing ghosts and experimenting on them," he said bitterly. He hated it when they talked about it. He hated how excited they got about it.

"I am sure," Jazz replied, but Danny still had doubts. "They love you," she said softly.

"Enough to forget the fact that part of me is what they have been trying to capture for years?" he asked. "Jazz, I can't tell them. They don't have to know about it. It's fine the way it is now."

Apparently she knew she wasn't going to win this argument, because she sighed and stood up. "You're as stubborn as ever. Fine, don't tell them then. I still think that's not a good idea, but it's your life."

Danny had always thought that Jazz was very mature, even back when she had been a teenager, but now she truly was an adult. Part of him hoped that one day he'd also act more mature, but his brain still couldn't keep up with his mouth.

"Let's hope that the turkey won't come to life tomorrow," Jazz joked and Danny cracked a smile. "I really don't want to have to chase a stuffed turkey through our house again.

* * *

"Dammit," Danny murmured and sat up in his bed, clutching his aching stomach. He had been having stomach aches all evening and initially he had thought that they would go away, but the longer he ignored it the stronger they got. He now knew why they hadn't gone away. It was that time of the month again.

He reached under his bed, searching for the hidden box. Once found he grasped it and put it on his bed, hearing his stomach rumble. This was the first time this was happening since Vlad had given him the concentrated ectoplasm.

Danny bit the inside of his cheek when he started to feel slightly nauseous. Although he didn't want to do this, he didn't have much of a choice.

He took one of the vials and inspected it. The ectoplasm was glowing brightly, illuminating his room. Looking at it filled Danny with this strange desire. His mouth began to water and although he knew that this had to be wrong on some level, he was also aware that no matter what, he was going to do this. He didn't feel as guilty for doing this as he had felt back when this had first started happening. There was nothing he could do to change his situation.

Carefully Danny opened the container.

"Oh my God," he whispered when the wonderful smell hit him. Never before had he felt this need to consume the ectoplasm. It smelt divine.

With shaking hands he raised the vial to his mouth and started drinking.

And didn't stop until there wasn't a drop of ectoplasm left.

Dazed he stared at the empty container, the taste of ectoplasm still lingering on his tongue. The taste was better than it had been the last few times. Was it because it was concentrated?

Danny licked his lips and decided he didn't really care why it was this delicious. He also recalled that he had another vial. Maybe he should- no. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Normally he would drink the ectoplasm and that was it, his hunger vanished. And yet he was still entertaining the thought of having another portion.

With slight hesitation he put the now empty vial back into the box and hid it under his bed, the room once again completely dark. The craving for ectoplasm vanished and so did his foggy state of mind.

For the first time since this had started Danny didn't feel too bad about it. Vlad was right, he had to do this. It wasn't like there was a choice to be made. And maybe he should thank Vlad after all, because the ectoplasm had tasted heavenly and part of him could get used to drinking it.

So maybe the fruitloop wasn't _so_ bad, Danny admitted begrudgingly. Still pretty bad, but this had earned him some plus points. He didn't have to go through the trouble of helping him and Vlad had also given him some good advice. Without him Danny would still be hopelessly confused. In the few years they had known each other this was the first time he honestly felt grateful and was considering thanking him. It was Christmas in two days, too, and although he still wasn't a big fan of the holiday, maybe he could use this opportunity to repay Vlad in some way.

But how?

* * *

"Daniel? What are you doing here?"

When Vlad asked that question Danny realised how strange this was going to seem. Here he was on Christmas Eve with the intention of thanking the man who had previously been a total asshole to him and his family.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "I decided to come by. You know, it's Christmas tomorrow, it seemed appropriate to...come here," he said awkwardly.

"Aha." Apparently that explanation hadn't been as good as Danny had thought it would be. This was so goddamn awkward. He had no idea what to actually say.

"So that's all? Are you actually expecting me to believe you only decided to visit me because it is Christmas tomorrow? Daniel, we both know you hate me," Vlad told him and crossed his arms.

He couldn't argue with him about that.

"I...look, you really...helped me," Danny muttered and sighed. "Thanks to you I no longer feel like absolute shit about my need to drink ectoplasm and you even gave me that package. And so I decided to...thank you."

He looked at Vlad and part of him still hated that asshole, but it wouldn't be fair to him if Danny didn't give him credit for his latest actions.

"Thank me? I didn't expect that at all, if I'm being honest," Vlad replied.

"I wasn't planning on doing this, but I changed my mind. Seeing as it's Christmas time I thought we could call a truce."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "A truce? Why? Are you realising now that you don't have a chance against me, Daniel, and that you're scared I will beat you in battle?"

"I'm not afraid of that!" Danny growled and let his eyes flash green. "I'm just as powerful as you are if not more so. If you don't want to call a truce that's fine, I don't care. I'll kick your ass next time you cause trouble!"

Vlad clearly wasn't going to agree. Angrily Danny started to leave, embarrassed for believing they could have another truce. Why had he come here anyway? He was so stupid.

"Daniel!"

Upon hearing his name Danny looked back, seeing Vlad still standing by the door.

"Daniel, you didn't even let me reply," he said. "You've truly got your mother's temper," he commented quietly, but it was loud enough so Danny could hear.

He let the comment slide.

"I agree," he told him. "Let's call for a truce, if that is what you want."

He agreed? Had he changed his mind? Danny opened his mouth to make a snarky comment, but instead a smile started to form.

"Alright then."

"You should hurry back now. I'm sure your mother isn't going to be very happy with you if you don't spend Christmas Eve with her," Vlad remarked.

"Yeah… So, thanks again," Danny said and transformed.

"Tell her I wish her a happy Christmas," he smiled and Danny scoffed. "You know damn well I won't tell her that."

Vlad looked at him amused. "Yes, I suppose you won't. Then I wish you Happy Christmas, Daniel."

"...Happy Christmas," Danny said quietly and left, leaving Vlad behind to watch him fly away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I just wanted to thank you all for your wonderful reviews and for favouriting/following this story! I've had some medical/personal problems lately, but I finally managed to get something out with which I'm mostly happy with. Thanks again for reading!**

* * *

Christmas went by without any ghostly incident, leaving Danny to somewhat enjoy the holiday. When his sister went back to university he couldn't help but wish she would stay. Having Jazz back in their house had established almost a sense of normality back in his life. It was silly wanting her to stay, though, how old was he, five? Danny had no idea if his parents knew how much he wanted his sister to not go and if they noticed the abnormally long hug between the two siblings before Jazz left, they didn't comment on it.

The holiday season passed and Danny's busy life continued. The ghosts went right back to making his life more difficult than it already was. Tucker and Sam were as helpful as ever, accompanying him to fight ghosts at almost all times of the day, and Danny couldn't be more grateful to have such great friends.

Danny also didn't need to drink more ectoplasm for another three months. The time span had been shorter than he had expected, but that was alright with him. At least he had gained some time. The vials were both empty now and so he had had no choice but to go to Vlad's place again and ask him for more. Surprisingly, he had received two more without any issues. Vlad really did seem to want to help him.

* * *

But things got worse again.

* * *

 _Where the fuck is it?_

Danny dropped the box onto the floor, glaring at it. It was empty. Completely empty. He could've sworn he had one more vial. So where was it?

Next he searched the bag he had also hidden underneath his bed containing the empty vials. Glass clinking together could be heard as he rummaged through the bag. As a side note he noticed that he had accumulated about a dozen of empty containers now. How long had it been since he had started taking them? Ten months? No, that didn't add up. It didn't matter anyway. All that mattered was that Danny couldn't find another full vial.

He put the box and bag back under his bed and tried to remember when he had last drunk ectoplasm. First it had taken three months until he needed more, but he felt like that timespan had shortened. He couldn't remember when he had emptied the last vial. It should be at least a month ago, but...he got the feeling that wasn't the case.

Then he remembered that school started in half an hour, so going to Vlad's to get some more ectoplasm was out of the question. Just fantastic. He grabbed a handkerchief and blew his nose, throwing the used tissue into his rubbish bin. His nose had been stuffy all night long so maybe he was getting a cold.

Danny took his rucksack and went downstairs, quickly saying goodbye to his parents before he left the house. On his way to Casper High he kept thinking about going to Vlad's mansion. He desperately needed more ectoplasm. He was still a bit surprised that the man was giving him the stuff for free. Maybe even more surprising was that they hadn't fought each other in what seemed like forever. They had been at peace for nearly a year now. Time sure flew by.

* * *

"You okay?" Tucker asked him as they waited in line to get their lunch.

"Why are you asking?" Danny replied and frowned. Did he not look fine?

Tucker took a good look at him before responding. "You seem like you're getting sick. Your eyes are kinda red."

"I'll be fine. It's probably just a little cold," he said and got his food. He waited for his friends before they sat down at their table. Hopefully the cold would pass soon, being sick was the worst.

"My mum is driving me crazy." Sam said suddenly and stabbed her salad with her fork forcefully, making Tucker look up at her.

"Why? Is she buying you pink clothes again?" Tucker chuckled and got an eye roll from his friend in return. "No, thank God, but she's trying to get me to take sewing classes with her."

"I thought you liked sewing?" Danny entered the conversation, not looking up from his untouched lunch plate.

Sam sighed, "yeah, but I don't want to take classes with _her_. I hope I can find a way to get her to drop the idea."

"And how about you actually take the classes with her?" Danny suggested and looked at her.

"What? Why?"

"Because it sounds like your mother actually wants to spend time with you. She cares, but you push her away, so how about you start appreciating her efforts for once? Even if she doesn't like how you dress, she lets you dress like that. She doesn't force you to wear something else. So to have a better relationship with her you could try to spend more time with her. Instead of constantly complaining, how about you try to fix your relationship," Danny told her angrily, knowing his words seemed harsh, but once he had started talking he hadn't been able to stop himself.

Sam averted her gaze and stared at her tray.

"Dropping some truth bombs, aren't you?" she murmured, obviously upset and Danny immediately felt like a complete jerk.

Tucker was looking at him, the disapproval showing on his face. He kicked Danny's leg under the table. _I totally deserved that_ , he thought.

"Sam… I'm sorry. I didn't really mean that, I was just-"

"No it's fine. If you didn't mean that you wouldn't have said or thought it," she replied quietly, still not looking at him. "You're probably right anyway."

Danny sighed, "no, I'm not. If you don't want to do it that's fine. I don't know why I said it. I...I don't know." He was acting like such a jerk. He hadn't meant to snap at her like that.

"Anyway, how about you do whatever you're most comfortable with," Tucker said to Sam. "You're your own person. If you don't want to take sewing classes with your mum that's totally fine."

"Okay. Yeah, I'll think about it some more," she nodded.

Why had he reacted like that? He knew Sam didn't have the best relationship with her mum. For no reason at all he had been annoyed by her problem. For a second he had honestly thought she was being whiny.

He looked back at his untouched food, deciding that after that he definitely wasn't hungry. The bell rang, announcing the end of their lunch period.

Danny stood up, trying to ignore the guilt he was feeling for now. He knew that even if he tried to apologise more, Sam would just say he had nothing to be sorry about.

Maybe the worst part of his sudden outburst was that if he was being honest he didn't think he was totally wrong. Sam had a mother who obviously loved her and who tried to do more things with her. That was great, wasn't it? Danny wished he could do more stuff with his own mother. A year or more ago that wouldn't have been the case. He used to think it was stupid to do more things with her, but after Jazz moved out he had begun to feel more lonely at home. His parents were usually working and if they were free to do whatever they wanted, Danny had to take care of ghosts. It wasn't fair.

* * *

Danny looked out of the window, wishing school would end already. He needed to get some more ectoplasm from Vlad. If he didn't get more then he'd get these hunger pangs again.

He watched as people left the building, already finished with their school day. Sam and Tucker were in another class right now, which sucked. There weren't a lot of people he was friends with. Valerie was another friend of his, but she also wasn't here. Now that he was thinking about it, he really didn't have many friends. Well, that's what you got for being weird and having the social skills of a shoe.

"Mr. Fenton, can you please explain why our polynomial function of the third degree cannot look like the one I just drew on the blackboard?" Lancer's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

"I really don't give a shit," Danny said, then froze when he realised he had just said that out loud. He felt the eyes of the other students on him as well as his teacher's glare.

"Is that so? Then you also won't 'give a shit' when I send you to the principal's office," was the reply.

Danny heard the door shut firmly behind him. Why had he said that out loud? Jesus, what was wrong with him today? He started his walk of shame, hands stuffed into his jean's pockets. He hoped Lancer wouldn't stay mad at him for too long. Math wasn't exactly his best subject.

When he got to the principal's office – Danny still thought sending him to her had been a bit overkill – she made him recite the incident, told him how immature he had been, that he should pay more attention in class and told him if he continued being a distraction in classroom and carried on with making such comments she would call his parents. Danny promised her this would not happen again and also told her he would apologise to Mr. Lancer. Not only because she expected him to do it, but because he actually liked him and respected him.

Class was over by the time he got out of the principal's office. All he wanted was to quickly leave and forget all about this. First he had been a total dick to Sam and then he had showed no respect to the only teacher who deserved it. Oh yeah, and he was sick. This was not a good day.


End file.
